Frederic Jacobs

America is sabotaging its own scientific research with cutting the NSF budget from $9 billion to only $3 billion, using AI to evaluate grant proposals and shift NSF funding from universities to private companies

https://www.science.org/content/article/my-boss-was-crying-nsf-confronts-potentially-massive-layoffs-and-budget-cuts

As a result, applications for positions as research group leaders from the US at Germany‘s Max Planck have doubled 🚀🔬
https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/amerika/usa-forschung-kuerzungen-100.html

Feb 9 at 10:29amIvory for Mac
Show threadEl DuvelleFeb 9

@fj

"NSF would do better to rely on artificial intelligence to pick the best proposals"

(conservative economist Samuel Hammond of the Foundation for American Innovation)

This shows such ignorance of how research and "genAI" works... such decisions should be made by people who understand these things. But of course they do not actually care about funding good research.. They hate the entire concept of independent people being able to say the truth about the world. They want to destroy research and education so that everyone is ignorant and more gullible to their lies. 🤦🤢

Show threadThree plus or minus fiveFeb 9

@elduvelle @fj
He starts with paragraph with saying NSF is also 'risk averse", which I thought was odd; usually conservatives are much more concerned with underserving people getting money than trying long shots.

Then I realized that it just be a dogwhistle: they're not funding the wingut antivax flat-earther crowd.

But yeah, the AI stuff is a dead givaway they don't know what they're saying.

Show threadStarkRGFeb 9
@fj The purpose is to suck the US dry from anyone with intelligence enough to be dangerous to the new regime. And it's working because it's becoming impossible to function in that hellscape.
Show threadMind DilationFeb 9
@fj With very few exceptions, private companies are unsuitable for doing basic research, and for any applied research requiring sustained long-term continuous effort. The profit motive conflicts with the ability to invest enough money in the needed infrastructure, do unbiased rigorous study, and sustain continuous competent staff and focus on a single effort. At one time I worked for a large company receiving government grants to do applied research.
Show threadN0tSureFeb 9
@fj Now is the time for Europe. Which means that states need to finance. It would be a massive strategic blunder to cut research budgets. They need to be boosted. Which also implies a number of other things...
Show threadmethuselahFeb 9
@fj things shall pass.
Show threadNickServFeb 9
@fj or in other words there is another six billion cut from 36 trillion+ debt. Yay!
Show threadαxel simon ↙︎↙︎↙︎Feb 9
@nickserv @fj i can't tell if you're serious but in case you are: that's not how that works. The USA has control of their own money.
Show threadCall151Feb 9

@nickserv @fj

Public debt is our private savings. Politics determines who has the savings and that won’t be working class people.

Show threadgluttoFeb 9
@fj
Correction:
Republicans are sabotaging America's scientific research. One person is leading the charge, but the silent loyal supporters are right behind him.
Show threadCBinNYCFeb 9
@fj That’s because fascism is the melding of government and private industry.
Show threadUwe FuhrmannFeb 9
@fj
Wären die Leute auf Zack, die sich sonst so oft und lautstark über die Innovationskraft des dt. „Standortes“ Sorgen machen, hätten wir morgen 1 Milliarde Sonderfond, um drangsalierte US-Wissenschaftler*innen einzuladen. Aber not gonna happen, I guess
Show threadAlleyoopFeb 9
@fj NOT the U.S. It's the Republican Administration. The rest of us are disgusted and terrified. 💯
Show threadtobieFeb 9
@fj Thanks for posting this. I've been stunned at how little coverage cuts to the NIH and NSF are getting. They will have devastating effects on the economy. The U S is giving up its preeminence in science for what? More tax cuts for the rich? Every univ pres needs to be out there explaining how basic science leads to discoveries that eventually result in products. Private companies don't invest in basic research because the return on investment isn't guaranteed.
Show threadPepperbikeFeb 9
@fj The US is going to become a scientific and educational backwater and the full effects of this will not be really obvious for 20 ish years. It is far to cheaper to important highly educated workers from other countries and then give the low wage jobs to US workers. That is the clear agenda of the Musk/Trump Administration.
Show threadAuntie MameFeb 9
@fj Yep. American brain drain
Show threadWiltonFeb 9
@fj Especially with professional “Euro English” being increasingly adopted in European institutions and workplaces it’s becoming so, so tempting. The brain drain is reversing.